Watch out, Mumbai civic body has razed only 3% of dangerous buildings

Every year, the Mumbai civic body identifies buildings that are dilapidated and unsafe for habitation

Rescue workers inspect the site of the collapse on Thursday.(Anshuman Poyrekar/HT)

There could be as many as 505 buildings in the city that are vulnerable to collapse.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had declared 640 buildings ‘dangerous to live in’ as a part of its pre-monsoon preparedness exercise this year. Of these, it has demolished only 20 (3%) and vacated another 115 (17.9%), revealed BMC data up to July 31.

After the civic body served notices to the tenants of 158 buildings, it disconnected their electricity and water supply.

Every year, the BMC identifies buildings that are dilapidated and unsafe for habitation. It divides these into three categories — C-1, C-2 and C-3. While C-1 buildings are the most dangerous, C-2 structures require major repairs and C-3 buildings require minor repairs.

All 640 buildings fall under the C-1 category.

Residents of 146 C-1 buildings have approached the court.

This year, officials were asked to survey buildings in 24 wards and submit a list in April. People can view this list on the BMC website — www.mcgm.gov.in.

Senior civic officials said the process of identifying dilapidated buildings, serving notices, cutting off electricity and water supply, evacuating tenants and demolishing the structure is a long-drawn-out process.

“Many people refuse to leave, despite knowing that their lives are at risks. They get stay over notices from the court,” an official said.

Tenants of the 117-year-old Hussaini building, which collapsed on Thursday, had received two evacuation notices in 2011 and a demolition notice in 2016.

However, five families in the ground-plus-five storey refused to vacate the premises. As many as 33 died in the collapse. In the past two decades, 267 people have died in 17 building collapses.

The data also reveals that the highest number of dangerous buildings (114) are in L ward — Kurla and Chandivli.This is followed by the N ward — Ghatkopar — where 66 buildings are in the C-1 category.

The BMC has neither demolished the L ward nor asked tenants to vacate them. In Ghatkopar, the civic body has demolished eight structures as of July.